Blog Archives

March 25, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I’m particularly thankful to have our students back on campus this week. The positive energy radiating from their return has uplifted our entire community and helped us find joy in an otherwise tragic week of national headlines. From Atlanta, to Philadelphia, to Boulder, gun violence and hate have dominated the news and taken the lives of far too many, while altering the lives of countless more.

Though much is still being uncovered about each of these devastating events, I’d like to share my thoughts on the broader narrative that has emerged from the March 16 Atlanta area spa shootings. At the time of this writing, these shootings have not officially been designated a hate crime, but the fact that six of the eight victims were Asian Americans brings up an important point that all of us must reckon with: egged on by the dangerous, false ideals of white supremacy, anti-Asian hate is far more prevalent than many have previously acknowledged.

I’d like to pause here and affirm that MPA firmly stands with our Asian, Asian American, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander students, parents, alumni, and community members. We wholeheartedly condemn anti-Asian racism, hate, and violence in all forms. To our international students from China and South Korea, we value the experiences and perspectives that you bring to our community and we recognize the particular challenges you have faced throughout the pandemic. Read More

10 Amazing (And Included) Features Of MPA’s International Student Program

March 9, 2021

MPA’s international program welcomes students in grades 7-12 from a number of countries and backgrounds. Here are 10 things to love about the international program at MPA:

1. International Student Program Coordinator Mr. Becker-Kim: MPA has a dedicated International Student Program Coordinator, Cory Becker-Kim who serves as an advisor, teacher, and confidant to all international students on a daily basis, and regularly monitors their academic achievement. Given MPA’s emphasis on public speaking, college preparatory writing, and higher Lexile level reading, students work through the challenging coursework in one-on-one or in small groups with Mr. Becker-Kim throughout the entire duration of their MPA experience.

2. Advanced language and culture (AL&C) Course: Taught by Mr. Becker-Kim, Advanced language and culture (AL&C) course, with a 6:1 student to teacher ratio for all international students, is built into the curriculum as a World Language credit towards graduation. First-year international students are enrolled in AL&C to help with the cultural transition to an American high school, to discuss important social and historical events of the United States and learn the nuances of strong academic English and vocabulary to achieve fluency. Click here for the Advanced language and culture (AL&C) course description.

3. College Application Support: For juniors and seniors, MPA dedicates significant time and resources to helping international students with college applications, particularly with primary college application essays and supplemental writing essays.

4. Social and Emotional Support: All international students have the International Student Program Coordinator available to help them navigate homesickness, friendships, social situations and events, stress, and culture shock. When needed, the International Student Program Coordinator works closely with the School Counselor and/or Director of Guidance to be sure the student is as happy and healthy as possible during their time at MPA. Support includes connecting international students to domestic students, faculty and administration, and co-curricular activities.

5. New International Student Orientation: This involves one-on-one meetings with the Director of Guidance to create class schedule, acclimation to classroom and school culture, laptop orientation, plagiarism discussion, school supply shopping, sight-seeing in the Twin Cities, student networking opportunities, team building activities, and more.

6. Transition Assistance: For both students coming into our community for the first time, and to assist returning students in forming connections within the school and the Twin Cities, MPA provides transition assistance in order to make an international students transition, or transition back as smooth as possible.

7. Daily Hot Lunch: Served with culturally and religiously sensitive options, daily hot lunch is delicious and unlimited!

8. Quarterly Events: Throughout the school year and the summer, MPA’s international program hosts joyful events, on and off campus, to help support new and returning students.

9. Host Family Selection, Acclimation and Support: International host families are carefully recruited, selected and vetted to ensure the highest quality experience for our students. The International Student Program Coordinator works closely with students and their host families to ensure that the home is a safe, welcoming, happy environment for all. Quarterly home visits, one-on-one check-ins with students and host families, communication with natural parents, and student/host family events are all ways that the Program Coordinator works with host families and students to build routine, communication, and a supportive experience.

10. Translation Services: MPA provides translation services for international student and/or parents. This includes both in person conversations and documentation translation for Visa and immigration support.

How We Prepare Students To Live, Learn, And Thrive

March 4, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Educators are infamous for creating esoteric terms and anachronyms to describe different approaches to teaching and learning. Project-based learning, or PBL, is one such term but should not be confused with problem-based learning, also PBL. Both PBLs are similar, yet different. Debate exists within educational circles as to whether Design Thinking is a more inclusive term for both PBLs. To further complicate matters, some educators prefer the term “inquiry-based learning”. Confused? Ambivalent? Let me try to translate.

Whether described as project, problem, or inquiry-based learning, this form of learning has roots in what John Dewey (American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer who is often referred to as one of the “fathers of American education”) called “progressive education.” Contemporary educational theorists refer to it as a pedagogy (another educational esoteric term that designates an educational method) that “engages students in creating, questioning, and revising knowledge, while developing their skills in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, reasoning, synthesis, and resilience” (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008). Read More

Celebrating Black History Month

February 24, 2021

Happy Black History Month! This February, we celebrate the vibrancy of the Black community as we honor the people, events and accomplishments in Black history. At MPA, Black History Month includes both celebrating the amazing accomplishments throughout Black history (for example, the third graders learning the music of Dizzy Gillespie), and simultaneously examining, acknowledging, and remembering both contemporary and historic anti-Black racism and the struggle for justice (for example, the Racial Justice and Equity Club’s discussion on the Black Panther’s Ten-Point Program).

Most of all, we recognize the tremendous accomplishments of Black people throughout history, and in turn, honor our Black, African American and African community members at MPA. In Mr. Cunningham’s Middle School Social Studies Classes, students have begun each class period during February by highlighting and profiling amazing African-American heroes whose stories are sadly not as well known as they should be. These people are artists, activists, inventors, politicians, aviators, and so much more. Read More

What Google’s Discovery Means For An MPA Student

February 18, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Not long ago, Google decided to do some self-reflection. Cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page set out to determine the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees. As a company that mostly hired top computer scientists, I imagine they were more than a bit surprised to find that of these eight qualities, expertise in STEM was not first nor second, but eighth! The top seven were: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing insights into others (including others’ different values and points of view); having empathy toward, and being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas.

What can we learn from Google about the future of creating smart, successful, in-demand graduates? The skills that students learn from the humanities and liberal arts are in high demand. In addition to the skills listed above, Google’s follow up research identified having curiosity toward teammates’ ideas, harboring emotional intelligence, valuing equality, being generous, and cultivating emotional safety as additional key skills for their employees. Read More

We Are In Good Hands

February 11, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I was pleasantly surprised Tuesday by a visit from Ms. Petersen’s kindergartners who presented me with a very nice MPA blue scarf. As we sat on the floor together in the hallway outside my office (six feet apart, of course!), they shared that they are spreading kindness throughout the school this month. The scarf was an act of kindness to thank me for my efforts to safely open school this year. As one of them put it, “You were a great leader and protector,” in the classroom.

For many, the future looks grim. Some people have lost faith in our society and feel hopeless and helpless. However, when so much seems to be outside of our control, I believe we must seek aspects of our lives we can control. Taking action now on something that will have a positive impact in years ahead can help us move through those feelings of hopelessness. In the midst of uncertainty, for instance, investing in the education of our children is essentially an act of hope and kindness.

Over the years, many MPA families and alumni have expressed their faith and confidence in the future by making a planned or estate gift to the school. These types of gifts might include making MPA the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement plan, creating a charitable gift annuity, or most simply, by making a bequest through your will. There are many ways you can designate a future gift through your estate planning. Contact the Development Office to learn more about what options might work best for you. Read More

Maker Fest 2021: Amelia Dickson

February 10, 2021

We’re interviewing the Makers you’ll meet at Maker Fest 2021 on Saturday, February 20 so you can get to know them ahead of time! If reading about the Amelia’s work has inspired you to share your own, sign up here to be a Maker yourself!

What (or who) inspires you to make?
I find a lot of inspiration from other artists around me and my own experiences in life. My own struggles inspire me as well to create worlds and things that don’t exist in order to escape the world around me.

What do you enjoy making?
I spend a lot of my time creating characters and environments through illustration and model making!

What are your favorite materials and mediums?
Throughout my time as a growing artist, I have made it a goal of mine to experiment with every medium I can, but my favorites are definitely digital illustration, painting, using polymer clay, and drawing with a classic graphite pencil.

If you could make anything imaginable with no restrictions, what would you make?
I would love to learn how to make fantasy prosthetics for costumes and movies. I love to create things that are fictional but seem real! It takes me into an entirely new world. If I could, I would create an entire environment full of fictional but realistic models.

What music do you listen to while you work?
My favorite music to listen to as I work is definitely movie soundtracks including The Lord of the Rings and How to Train Your Dragon. My top five songs on my Spotify wrapped last year were all songs from the How to Train your Dragon soundtrack… It’s just so good!

How has the MPA Makerspace impacted your abilities?
Because of COVID-19, I haven’t had many opportunities to use the Makerspace over the last year, and I definitely wish I could have used it more! There are so many incredible tools in the space that can transform ideas into reality. Sometime in the future, I would love to use the laser cutter more to print illustrations into wood and other materials.

Don’t miss Amelia’s Maker Fest presentation on Zoom Saturday, February 20 at 11 AM!

Join via Zoom >
Meeting ID 913 0516 4223
Passcode: makerfest

As We Look To Next Year

February 4, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

On Sunday, we hosted a rather large number of prospective families for a virtual MPA Preview. During a panel discussion, I was asked by moderator Nate Bander, “How do you see the mission statement of MPA playing out every day?”

Truthfully, it was a difficult question to answer because I see the mission in action each day in a multitude of ways. Most of you know that I stand at the south entrance of the school every day to greet students as they enter the building. Admittedly, it is the best part of my day and I often joke that my day goes downhill from there. The joyfulness of students as they enter the building is infectious. They are excited about the day ahead, to connect with their classmates, and see their teachers. At most schools, students are excited to exit the school, for their day to be over.

After my door duty is over, I make the trek to my office at the other end of the building and I see the mission come to life in so many ways:

As I pass by the Makerspace, I may see a Lower School class joyfully problem-solving using manipulatives.
Crossing through the new Family Commons, I might encounter a Middle School science class sprawled across the space excitedly engaged in testing the laws of motion with wind-up cars they built.
I may stop in my tracks along the way to take in the beauty of new art gracing our hallways and stand in awe of the accomplishments of our students.
Sometimes I pause outside the band or orchestra rooms to take in and feel the beautiful music and close my eyes, wishing I had that opportunity when I was young.
I may have to watch where I am walking in the Upper School Commons to avoid interrupting a world history class that is sitting in a circle on the floor in the midst of an intense discussion of Jim Crow laws.
As I finally approach my office, I often hear peals of laughter coming from the Lansing Sports Center of children engaging in some creative, crazy named activity dreamed up to teach important lessons about wellbeing and teamwork. Read More

Strategic Planning In A VUCA World

January 28, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

One of the highpoints of the fall for me is spending time with our senior class talking about leadership. In a series of four seminars, I walk with them through various leadership theories as well as several definitions and metaphors. One of my favorite leadership metaphors is one I learned from a mentor many years ago.

“Leadership is being in the middle of the herd moving it roughly westward.”

I share it with them at the end of the second session and ask them to think about what it means, how it applies to leadership, and come prepared to our next meeting to discuss. The ensuing conversation is often rather lively and as we unpack the metaphor and it yields many very different interpretations:

Leaders who are too far out in front of the herd may realize too late that they are alone, having forgotten to bring others along with them.
Sometimes a leader needs to be out front to chart a bold and new path.
If a leader is at the tail end, the herd lacks direction. On the other hand, sometimes a leader needs to step back in order to consider lay of the land and craft a broader vision.
Those who lead from the middle are often better in touch with other members of the herd and can nudge them forward in a common direction.
Leaders in the middle can push and pull from within, depending on what is needed. They help others feel valued as a part of the solution as the team moves ahead.
When consensus and buy-in are required for the success of the project, leading from the middle may be best.
From time to time, a leader does need to pull back, trust in the team, in order to consider the whole to refine a vision, and allow others a chance to take the lead.

Congratulations Ms. Pederson!

January 25, 2021

Lisa Pederson, MPA’s Director of College Counseling, has been named one of the twelve recipients from across the country of the 2021 Counselors That Change Lives Award! This honor is given by Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL), a non-profit organization dedicated to the ideal of a student-centered college search.

Ms. Pederson was nominated by Jill Sauber, Associate Dean of Admissions at St. Olaf
College. “Lisa does not hesitate to recommend colleges based on the best fit for her students rather than those that are based on ranking. I have witnessed the research she does for her students, the insightful questions she asks when on counselor tours, the subtle pushing she does to college reps to get honest answers and a true understanding of the institution,” says Sauber.

Ms. Pederson shined in this spring’s challenging circumstances. Sauber recalls, “When high schools pivoted to distance learning last spring, I heard from numerous families at Mounds Park Academy that Lisa made their seniors feel recognized, appreciated and celebrated from afar. They praised her for the ability to handle the changes positively and thoughtfully.” Read More